This invention relates to packages for food casing strands.
Food casing strands are shirred tubular film food casing. "Shirred" means radially folded so as to be compressed along the longitudinal axis of the tubular film.
Such shirred food casings are packages for storage and shipment to food processors, e.g. meat packers making cylindrically shaped sausage product.
Numerous types of packages for shirred food casing have been used in the prior art. Such packages have included rigid cartons as well as net and film wrappings.
Film wrappings have had certain advantages, e.g. they are light weight and usually provide a moisture barrier to prevent dehydration of moisturized strand products.
One difficulty with film packages for food casing strands has been that a film which is strong enough to provide a secure package is generally difficult to remove from the package product.
This problem has been addressed by providing adhesive opening strips or areas which can be readily removed to provide access to package contents.
Unfortunately such adhesive strips have caused yet another problem in that after removal they tend to stick to undesirable areas creating disorganization and a generally messy environment.
It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a readily openable film package for food casing strands which overcomes the disadvantages of prior art film packages.